Arguments Against Deaf Culture
Deafness has consistently been perceived and represented incorrectly in
American media. It is important to note that deaf individuals have created their own
culture based on their set of social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, and
values. Deaf Culture focuses on deaf individuals who use American Sign Language
(ASL) and consider being Deaf a cultural lifestyle choice. However, not all individuals
who have experienced hearing loss are emerged in Deaf culture and that distinction is
shown by the use of “deaf” vs “Deaf”. One would use the term “Deaf” (with a capital “D”)
to describe somebody who is involved in the Deaf Community by embracing the cultural
norms, beliefs and values. The term “deaf” (with a lowercase …show more content…
“d”) is used to describe
somebody who is lacking the sense to hear to the point where everyday communication
is difficult for them. Although there has been significantly more media coverage of Deaf
culture and ASL, Doctors and other medical professionals push the idea of cochlear
implants (CI) on parents who have deaf children in hopes of “fixing” their deafness. This
forces Deaf culture to question if they have a future in a hearing dominant world.
The purpose of a cochlear implant is to “cure” ones deafness. However, this
uprises issues within the Deaf community because it takes away the identity of Deaf
individuals. Is it okay for parents to take away the identity of their child? If a child is born
deaf, doctors are required to offer fair and unbiased information about both cochlear
implants and ASL and other tools to help you communicate and raise a deaf child.
However, it seems that most of the time parents are being steered in the direction of
cochlear implants, being told that it’s easier to manage the younger they are because
the child has yet to develop language skills.
However medical professionals forget to
mention that cochlear implants do not restore hearing, and may not be suitable for
everybody. There is always a chance that a cochlear implant may not work as expected,
or at all and the child is then stuck with it, no matter the outcome.
As Robert Sparrow says in his writing “Defending Deaf Culture: The Case of
Cochlear Implants* “The danger with existing cochlear implants is that they risk
depriving such children of full membership of any culture. Implantees may end up
trapped “between cultures,” unable to function effectively in a hearing context but also
lacking the facility with sign language available to those who grow up with it as their first
language.” Because of cochlear implants, deaf individuals often miss out on being
involved in the Deaf community but are still seemed less than those in the hearing
community, leaving them with no culture to relate too. In a story told by a Deaf
individual, who was one of the first 500 children to receive a cochlear implant, they talk
about what happens after they turn the implant on for the first time. “I expected that I
would be able to hear instantaneously. That proved not to be the case. You see, if
you
never heard before, any unfamiliar sensation feels like pain. I stood at the end of the
hallway, half-aghast, half-sobbing since all I felt was pain, and I didn’t hear anything.”
Upon getting a CI, they asked their mother if they would considered be deaf or hearing.
“She told me that I’d be both. I don’t think that’s true. I’m neither deaf nor hearing. I don’t
sign as often anymore, but I don’t speak or hear well enough to be like hearing people.”
“... getting a CI changed my life for the better and for the worse. Worlds of opportunities
opened up for me, but I lost an identity.” (2)
Unfortunately society sees deafness as a disability rather than an identity which
is often why parents are so quick to proceed with giving their child a cochlear implant. In
“Defending Deaf Culture: The Case of Cochlear Implants*” Robert Sparrow states “The
search for a cure for deafness represents the desire of a majority culture to impose its
language and values on the Deaf rather than modify its institutions to take account of
the perspectives and needs of members of another culture. Cochlear implant
technology represents an attack on the culture of the Deaf, because it seeks to ensure
that deaf children grow up to use a spoken language rather than the signed languages
of the Deaf.” (1) Giving a cochlear implant to a child is taking away their deaf identity
before they even get the opportunity to emerge themselves in their own culture, all
because hearing society feels it’s better for Deaf people to hear and speak. Now, why is
it that Deaf individuals take pride in being Deaf? In the article “What is Deaf Pride?”
written by Mark Drolsbaugh (3) he states “Being a part of this culture has given me a
sense of pride. I am no longer alone. I share a language, ASL, with many other people
in the Deaf community. I share a history of struggle which is well-documented...” and
“Last but not least, I bask in pride when I see Deaf people becoming more and more
successful in the world. There are those who insist that Deaf culture “shelters” Deaf
people from the real world (a frequent argument seen on the internet), but from my
perspective, it strengthen us and enables us to make the most of both worlds.”
American media. It is important to note that deaf individuals have created their own
culture based on their set of social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, and
values. Deaf Culture focuses on deaf individuals who use American Sign Language
(ASL) and consider being Deaf a cultural lifestyle choice. However, not all individuals
who have experienced hearing loss are emerged in Deaf culture and that distinction is
shown by the use of “deaf” vs “Deaf”. One would use the term “Deaf” (with a capital “D”)
to describe somebody who is involved in the Deaf Community by embracing the cultural
norms, beliefs and values. The term “deaf” (with a lowercase …show more content…
“d”) is used to describe
somebody who is lacking the sense to hear to the point where everyday communication
is difficult for them. Although there has been significantly more media coverage of Deaf
culture and ASL, Doctors and other medical professionals push the idea of cochlear
implants (CI) on parents who have deaf children in hopes of “fixing” their deafness. This
forces Deaf culture to question if they have a future in a hearing dominant world.
The purpose of a cochlear implant is to “cure” ones deafness. However, this
uprises issues within the Deaf community because it takes away the identity of Deaf
individuals. Is it okay for parents to take away the identity of their child? If a child is born
deaf, doctors are required to offer fair and unbiased information about both cochlear
implants and ASL and other tools to help you communicate and raise a deaf child.
However, it seems that most of the time parents are being steered in the direction of
cochlear implants, being told that it’s easier to manage the younger they are because
the child has yet to develop language skills.
However medical professionals forget to
mention that cochlear implants do not restore hearing, and may not be suitable for
everybody. There is always a chance that a cochlear implant may not work as expected,
or at all and the child is then stuck with it, no matter the outcome.
As Robert Sparrow says in his writing “Defending Deaf Culture: The Case of
Cochlear Implants* “The danger with existing cochlear implants is that they risk
depriving such children of full membership of any culture. Implantees may end up
trapped “between cultures,” unable to function effectively in a hearing context but also
lacking the facility with sign language available to those who grow up with it as their first
language.” Because of cochlear implants, deaf individuals often miss out on being
involved in the Deaf community but are still seemed less than those in the hearing
community, leaving them with no culture to relate too. In a story told by a Deaf
individual, who was one of the first 500 children to receive a cochlear implant, they talk
about what happens after they turn the implant on for the first time. “I expected that I
would be able to hear instantaneously. That proved not to be the case. You see, if
you
never heard before, any unfamiliar sensation feels like pain. I stood at the end of the
hallway, half-aghast, half-sobbing since all I felt was pain, and I didn’t hear anything.”
Upon getting a CI, they asked their mother if they would considered be deaf or hearing.
“She told me that I’d be both. I don’t think that’s true. I’m neither deaf nor hearing. I don’t
sign as often anymore, but I don’t speak or hear well enough to be like hearing people.”
“... getting a CI changed my life for the better and for the worse. Worlds of opportunities
opened up for me, but I lost an identity.” (2)
Unfortunately society sees deafness as a disability rather than an identity which
is often why parents are so quick to proceed with giving their child a cochlear implant. In
“Defending Deaf Culture: The Case of Cochlear Implants*” Robert Sparrow states “The
search for a cure for deafness represents the desire of a majority culture to impose its
language and values on the Deaf rather than modify its institutions to take account of
the perspectives and needs of members of another culture. Cochlear implant
technology represents an attack on the culture of the Deaf, because it seeks to ensure
that deaf children grow up to use a spoken language rather than the signed languages
of the Deaf.” (1) Giving a cochlear implant to a child is taking away their deaf identity
before they even get the opportunity to emerge themselves in their own culture, all
because hearing society feels it’s better for Deaf people to hear and speak. Now, why is
it that Deaf individuals take pride in being Deaf? In the article “What is Deaf Pride?”
written by Mark Drolsbaugh (3) he states “Being a part of this culture has given me a
sense of pride. I am no longer alone. I share a language, ASL, with many other people
in the Deaf community. I share a history of struggle which is well-documented...” and
“Last but not least, I bask in pride when I see Deaf people becoming more and more
successful in the world. There are those who insist that Deaf culture “shelters” Deaf
people from the real world (a frequent argument seen on the internet), but from my
perspective, it strengthen us and enables us to make the most of both worlds.”